Time to recognise work of school trustees

With the triennial trustee elections happening in May this year, it is appropriate to recognise the great work that school trustees do in the running of our 2,460 state and state integrated schools says Lorraine Kerr, President, New Zealand School Trustees Association.

Some 15,000 trustees are elected to school boards by parent communities each three years, and willingly take on the responsibility, and accountability, for the overall running of their local school, and including student achievement.

Boards of trustees are responsible for developing the policy framework which the school must operate within, the strategic plan for the school, and make the tough decisions on sometimes complex operational/educational issues which can impact on the entire community says Lorraine Kerr.

“School trustees deserve all the recognition they can get, because they are extremely dedicated members of our communities who care about the education of our children, and are prepared to give their time to ensure that our kids are given the opportunity to achieve to their potential,” she says.

In NZ, some 2,460 elected school boards are accountable for the education of some 760,000 primary and secondary students, the expenditure of some $1.2 billion per year in the day to day running of our schools, and in another $400-$500 million per year in property development/maintenance. And remember, there is no pay that comes with the job:- just the requirement that they work tirelessly and devote countless hours ‘pro bono’ to ensure that a high quality education is available for the young people of our communities says Ms Kerr.

In many ways, it may be seen as a somewhat invisible and thankless job to be a school trustee, but that is far from the truth, as evidenced by the over 100,000 trustees who have served on boards over the past 20 years, and the fact that trustees themselves enjoy the experience.

While trustees get very little public recognition for the critical job they do, we know from recent surveying that some 93% of trustees describe their experience as a board member as very positive/quite positive, with  92% believing their time on the board has benefited them in terms of their own personal growth. We have much to be grateful for in our NZ education system, and the contribution made by ordinary New Zealanders through boards of trustees is extraordinary, and deserving of recognition says Lorraine Kerr.